Hi there! I just stumbled upon this site, and am glad I did! My boyfriend and I have bought an old home in the Oak Hill Historic District in St. Louis, MO and we have been *slowly* chipping away at restoring it. It's been really fun to find out about the history of it - which I am happy to share.
It was built in 1892 by Gerhard Ludewig, a German immigrant and cabinet maker, who moved here with his family in the late 1880s from Bremen, Germany. The land in which it sits on belonged to the Russel Coal Mines in Tower Grove Park. The home itself looks to have Moorish Revival influence, as seen from the onion and ogee shaped domes on the house. For the past few decades, it has been nicknamed "The Onion House" by the community because of the large onion tower that sits on the second floor. The house has a lot of old character, as you can imagine, but has not been treated so kindly over the last half century. Its original wood siding and ornamentation (seen from the original photo) is covered by a synthetic shingle that is falling apart. The balconies on the second floor have been closed in - very poorly. A lot of the exterior needs to be refinished, and hopefully brought back to the beauty it once held. It has a full attic (mansard roof, with 3 gable dormer windows) and full basement, sitting on a limestone foundation. The original grand stair has been removed, and the staircase leading to the second floor unit is the old servants back stair, I believe.
Perhaps one of the more unique aspects of the house is the rear wing of the main building, which we believe to be original because it is showing on the 1903 Sanborn maps. In some independent research, I am thinking this was the original kitchen for the home, because of the layout and there was 2 chimney / stoves and connected by a doorway to what is now the kitchen. There is also a below grade concrete room beneath it, thinking that was a root cellar. On top of this wing, was a roof walk that led to an overlook - which is also deteriorating and we are removing.
It no longer is a "mansion", it has been divided into a 3 family home. We hope to eventually bring it back into a single dwelling but because of time and money, we are going to renovate them separately and live/rent the units.
I am not a historian by any means, so I would love to post photos and hear any history behind any of it. We are falling in love with this house, and are excited to bring it back to its original character and tell its story to the neighborhood.
Thanks for reading! Excited to be part of this community
Hello from The Onion House!
- TheOnionHouse
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- Location: St. Louis, MO
Hello from The Onion House!
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- TheOnionHouse
- Just Arrived
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- Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 6:16 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
Re: Hello from The Onion House!
Also, here is the first floor plan as it sits today.
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- Lily left the valley
- Inventor of Knob and Tube
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Re: Hello from The Onion House!
You had me at cabinet maker.
Then I saw all the pictures and the floor plan. Wooo!
Welcome.
--Proud member of the Industrious Cheapskate Club
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.
--Currently pondering ways to encourage thoughtful restovation and discourage mindless renovation.
- Sow's Ear Mal
- Stalwart
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- Location: Eastern Ontario, Canada
Re: Hello from The Onion House!
HOLY COW! That is one ambitious project, congratulations! Any pix of the original tail addition?
--Mal
--Mal
- JacquieJet
- Shakes a cane at new house owners
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Re: Hello from The Onion House!
Whoa. What a house!! Welcome!!
I can't wait to hear more from you about your projects! Such a unique house!! Too cool.
I can't wait to hear more from you about your projects! Such a unique house!! Too cool.
1917-ish
Happy 100th birthday, house!!
Happy 100th birthday, house!!
Re: Hello from The Onion House!
Cool house, looks like many of the original 2/2 windows are still in place! Lucky you. Hopefully that awful siding has protected some of the original house and you will strike gold. I'd be very interested to see some interior pics, I bet it was a fabulous home inside if built by a cabinet maker.
Good luck and welcome!
Good luck and welcome!
Etta says "WOOF"
- Gothichome
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Re: Hello from The Onion House!
Well, we are glad you found us Onionhouse. And what an onion house you have. And you seem to have the right attitude towards the home, I won't deny you have your work cut out for you restoring such a home, but when you get it looking like the old pictures you will be the envy of the whole neighbourhood, and rightly so. Now you mentioned you have started on smaller projects, tell us more. And pictures, more pictures and a few more after a that.
Re: Hello from The Onion House!
What an amazing home! Welcome to the district! Can't wait to see/hear more about your house.
- House_BuhBooLis
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Re: Hello from The Onion House!
Wow! So great, good luck! And yes, would love to see any interior details.
- Old house lady
- Knows the back streets
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Re: Hello from The Onion House!
She's a beauty - congratulations! Can't wait to see what you're able to do with her